There's a new program for licensed architects and designers to source thousands of previously unavailable products to projects in New York. Mostly, individuals are more concerned for their home spaces and finding reasonably priced goods for daily life, such as a really neat-oh bookshelf. Conran Conract won't solve that problem except in the case of larger, apartment renovations. And obviously NYC has its share of multi-million dollar apartments. But, Conran Contract will benefit locals by way of restaurants, hotels, corporate offices, even public spaces and a variety of medium-to-large scale projects. Recent clients include the Tom Ford showroom, shown above, in Milan which called for developing a custom finish on 60+ Brno chairs with Knoll, for John Field, architect.
The model is simple, relying on the bulk of numbers to bring furniture and design products to New York, without plans to expand domestically. The CC program will run in-house from Conran Shop, a department store for design goods across most categories including furniture, lighting, home, office, children and travel. For starters, there's access to the entire catalogues of more than 40 furniture and lighting producers like Magis, Arflex, Bisley, Driade, Mooi, USM, Vitra and others. Also, in many cases, Conran Contract can customize pieces and work to solve unique problems for particular projects.
While it is true the internet and NYC's many flagship locations already cover some of this territory, Conran Conract brings a whole new level of depth. The benefit of working with a single supplier for a particular project streamlines the overall timeframe, budget and direction. If a layout calls for 35 Saarinen tables in bulk, or several of Jamie Hayon's multi-leg cabinets, CC can hook them up or present alternatives. We'll start to see tangible results over the next twelve months.
